Clean Food Highlights Simple, Seasonal Recipes

Dark leafy greens such as kale (featured in the recipe below) are rich in calcium, iron and vitamins C and E.

We’ve been trying to eat seasonal, local and organic food when possible — not only does the meal taste better, but we often feel better. (Anyone who’s suffered from post-fast-food McTummy or had a salad made with ghostly pink tomatoes will understand.) So we were eager to read Clean Food: A Seasonal Guide to Eating Close to the Source With More Than 200 Recipes for a Healthy and Sustainable You (Sterling Epicure, 2009) by Terry Walters, a certified holistic health counselor and whole-food cooking instructor. The book is divided by season, with an additional section for “Anytime,” containing instructions for quick homemade pickles, oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies and sweet-potato and black-bean burritos. Spring offers lemony artichoke dip and cream of asparagus soup, while summer recipes include coleslaw, Pad Thai rolls and strawberry rhubarb pie. Among the selections for fall are skillet cornbread and apple squash soup. The question of what to eat seasonally in the winter is answered with chestnut stuffing, three-bean chili and winter squash recipes.

The recipes are mainly vegan — though the focus is on whole foods rather than eschewing meat. (Vegetarianism, however, does have its health benefits, including decreasing cancer risk, according to a recently updated position statement from the American Dietetic Association.) The thick tome also includes tips for keeping a food diary, a guide to vegetables, several pages on organic versus conventional vegetables and ways to improve health and well-being — simple tips worth repeating, such as that old advice from Mom: Chew your food!

Following is a recipe from Clean Food’s fall section for kale, which helps to decrease cancer risk. (For more on foods that fight breast cancer, see “Your Breast Friends” in the September/October issue of VIVmag.)

Kale With Pine Nuts and Currants
1/3 cup currants
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic gloves, minced
½ red onion, diced
2 large bunches chopped kale
4 dashes ume plum vinegar (available at health-food and grocery stores)
¼ cup toasted pine nuts

Plump the currants by placing in small pot with ¼ inch water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In large pan over medium heat, sauté garlic and onion in oil until soft (about 3 minutes). Add kale and sauté until tender (4–6 minutes). Add 1–2 tablespoons water as needed to prevent sticking. Drain currants and add to kale. Toss with vinegar, top with toasted pine nuts and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

NUTRITION SCORE
162 calories
50% fat
Fat 9 g
Carbs 19 g
Protein 5 g
Fiber 3 g
Calcium 165 mg
Iron 2.5 mg
Sodium 50 mg

Walters’ recipes make eating your veggies a pleasure — with recipes that are healthful and simple to prepare. How do you incorporate natural and local ingredients into your diet?

Photo credit: Stieglitz

Tags: Academia, American Dietetic Association, certified holistic health counselor, Cooking, Education, food, food diary, Garlic, health-food, Home economics, Hospitality/Recreation, kale, local and organic food, Microeconomics, Nutrition, oil, olive oil, post-fast-food, Soup, Terry Walters